The maximum storage capacity of the hard disk, usually measured in bytes e.g. GB.

The rotational speed of a hard disk expressed in rotations per minute. The faster the better.

The amount of data that the hard drive can store.

Interface ports to connect pieces of equipment. USB (Universal Serial Bus) has become the most popular wired interface to connect peripherals. USB 2.0 supports speeds up to 480 Mbit/s (USB 1: 12 Mbit/s). The interface FireWire is also known as the IEEE 1394 standard. Enhanced IDE (EIDE)is sometimes referred to as Fast ATA, Fast IDE or ATA-2.

Characteristics of the device.

What this product is used as a part of (component for).

The average duration before a device can start with a job (for example reading a file from a hard disk).